


Delinquent

by Maeve_of_Winter



Category: The Trixie Belden Mysteries - Julie Campbell Tatham & Kathryn Kenny
Genre: Gen, culture clash, expectation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-09 18:40:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1993623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maeve_of_Winter/pseuds/Maeve_of_Winter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hope has not always abandoned Dan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Delinquent

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during Black Jacket.
> 
> I welcome constructive criticism on all of my works. If you want to leave a comment, that's perfectly fine, but if you'd prefer to send a message, my email is goldphoenixrising@yahoo.com.

Living in some backwoods town might not be ideal, but if this uncle of his is willing to give him a chance, Dan might as well return the favor. He doesn't dare to let himself be too optimistic, but he thinks he might be able to make this work. As long as it's not another foster home, he can cope.

Maybe. The situation isn't hopeless, no matter how grim-faced his uncle looks when he talks about his "juvenile delinquent" nephew. 

This uncle- William Regan- he doesn't seem to like Dan all that much. And Dan can't really blame him for that; hell, he knows he's an inconvenience. Regan treats him like some kind of hostile, which is likely why he sent him to live out in the wild with a quasi-hermit.

It's strange. The air in this forest seems different- cool and soothing, scented with pine needles. He knows he should probably be upset about getting stuck in the boonies, but he can't bring himself to mind very much. Not even when he's wandering around this ridiculously pretentious game preserve with zero idea of where he's going and nearly misses the bus because all of these trees look the same.

But then he boards the school bus and sees a curly-haired blond girl laughing at him with her friends, and his brief glimmer of hope flickers and dies.

There's flurry of whispers, a stirring of stories, speculation and soon to be gossip already on the rise. The other students stare at him like he's an animal in a zoo, and Dan just stares ahead while on the bus, while walking to the front office and then to his homeroom. He can feel the eyes on him, taking in his clothing, which is much too urban to possibly blend in with these country folk. His face burns.

Why was he stupid enough to hope?

A few of the flying murmurs are distinguishable to him as he passes: "delinquent" is chief among the audible words. Some of the girls think he's cute, but most of them are scared of him- undoubtedly, he would seem even scarier if they knew he was an orphan.

The student his homeroom teacher selects to be his guide, is, of course, one of those kids who jeered at him on the bus. He eyes Dan's jacket with undisguised distaste, and Dan feels heat rise to his face out of both anger and embarrassment. He's not wearing this jacket for kicks. He's not wearing these clothes because they're in fashion. An extensive all-American wardrobe isn't exactly available to him at the moment. Has anyone considered that?

Throughout the morning, his guide seems increasingly dismayed about being stuck with him, and Dan can feel his own frustration rising. At lunch, the kid brings Dan to the table with his well-dressed friends, and that one blond girl stares at him like he's dirt on her shoes.

At that instant, Dan reaches a decision: if these people want him to be a delinquent so desperately, he might as well live up to their expectations.


End file.
